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1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1997–98 San Antonio Spurs season
Head coachGregg Popovich
General managerGregg Popovich
PresidentGregg Popovich (vice)
Owner(s)Peter Holt
ArenaAlamodome
Results
Record56–26 (.683)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Midwest)
Conference: 5th (Western)
Playoff finishConference semifinals
(lost to Jazz 1–4)

Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKSAT-TV
KRRT
Fox Sports Southwest
RadioWOAI
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

The 1997–98 NBA season was the Spurs' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 31st season as a franchise.[1] This season is most memorable when the Spurs selected Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest University with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.[2][3][4][5][6] After finishing with the third-worst record in 1996–97, the Spurs won the 1997 NBA Draft Lottery, dubbed as the "Tim Duncan Sweepstakes".[7][8] During the off-season, the team signed free agents, three-point specialist Jaren Jackson, and second-year forward Malik Rose.[9]

The Spurs got off to a mediocre 10–10 start, but then won 17 of their next 19 games, and held a 34–14 record at the All-Star break.[10] Despite losing Sean Elliott for the remainder of the season to a knee injury after 36 games,[11][12] the Spurs finished second in the Midwest Division with a 56–26 record, and returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.[13] The Spurs had the second best team defensive rating in the NBA.[14]

Duncan averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named Rookie of the Year,[15][16][17][18] and was also named to the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Rookie First Team, while David Robinson averaged 21.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Avery Johnson provided the team with 10.2 points and 7.9 assists per game, while Vinny Del Negro contributed 9.5 points per game, and Elliott provided with 9.3 points per game. Off the bench, Jackson contributed 8.8 points per game, while three-point specialist Chuck Person contributed 6.7 points per game, and Will Perdue averaged 5.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.[19]

Both Duncan and Robinson were named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, which was Duncan's first ever All-Star appearance.[20][21][22][23][24] Duncan finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[25] while Robinson finished in seventh place. Robinson also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[26][27] while Duncan finished tied in fifth place.[28]

In the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the 4th-seeded Phoenix Suns, 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round,[29][30][31][32] but lost 4–1 to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semi-finals.[33][34][35][36] The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.[37][38][39][40][41] Following the season, Del Negro signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks,[42][43][44] while Person signed with the Charlotte Hornets,[45] Monty Williams was released to free agency, and Carl Herrera was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies.[46]

Following the 1997–98 season, the Spurs enjoyed immense levels of success, winning five championships between 1999 and 2014, and qualifying for the playoffs every year until 2019, the longest playoff streak in NBA history, tied with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1950 to 1971.

NBA draft

[edit]
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 1 Tim Duncan PF/C  United States Virgin Islands Wake Forest

Roster

[edit]
1997–98 San Antonio Spurs roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
SF 9 Burton, Willie 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1968–05–26 Minnesota
SG 15 Del Negro, Vinny 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1966–08–09 NC State
PF 21 Duncan, Tim 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1976–04–25 Wake Forest
SF 32 Elliott, Sean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1968–02–02 Arizona
PG 4 Geary, Reggie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1973–08–31 Arizona
PF 7 Herrera, Carl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1966–12–14 Houston
SG 2 Jackson, Jaren 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1967–10–27 Georgetown
PG 6 Johnson, Avery 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1965–03–25 Southern
PF 54 Lohaus, Brad 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–09–29 Iowa
C 41 Perdue, Will 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1965–08–29 Vanderbilt
PF 45 Person, Chuck 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–06–27 Auburn
C 50 Robinson, David 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1965–08–06 Navy
PF 31 Rose, Malik 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1974–11–23 Drexel
SF 3 Williams, Monty 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1971–10–08 Notre Dame
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Regular season

[edit]

Tim Duncan

[edit]

The Spurs were coming off a poor 1996–97 NBA season; in which their best player, David Robinson—himself a number one draft pick in 1987—was sidelined for most of the year with an injury. The Spurs had finished with a 20–62 win–loss record.[47] However, as the 1997–98 NBA season approached, the Spurs were considered a notable threat in the NBA. With both an experienced center in Robinson and the number one pick in Duncan, the Spurs featured one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Duncan and Robinson became known as the "Twin Towers", having earned a reputation for their exceptional defense close to the basket, forcing opponents to take lower percentage shots from outside. From the beginning, Duncan established himself as a quality player: in his second-ever road game, he grabbed 22 rebounds against opposing Chicago Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman, a multiple rebounding champion and NBA Defensive Player of the Year.[48]

Later, when Duncan played against opposing Houston Rockets Hall-of-Fame power forward Charles Barkley, Barkley was so impressed he said: "I have seen the future and he wears number 21 [Duncan's jersey number]."[49] In his rookie season, Duncan lived up the expectations of being the number one draft pick, starting in all 82 regular-season games, and averaging 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. His defensive contributions ensured that he was elected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team and was also named NBA Rookie of the Year. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lauded Duncan's mental toughness, stating his rookie's "demeanor was singularly remarkable", Duncan always "put things into perspective" and never got "too upbeat or too depressed."[50] Center Robinson was equally impressed with Duncan: "He's the real thing. I'm proud of his attitude and effort. He gives all the extra effort and work and wants to become a better player."[51]

Season standings

[edit]
W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756 36–5 26–15 22–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6 31–10 25–16 18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17 26–15 19–22 14–10
x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21 24–17 17–24 14–10
Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42 13–28 7–34 9–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43 14–27 5–36 4–20
Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51 9–32 2–39 3–21
#
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Utah Jazz 62 20 .756
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 61 21 .744 1
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers 61 21 .744 1
4 x-Phoenix Suns 56 26 .683 6
5 x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 6
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 46 36 .561 16
7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 45 37 .549 17
8 x-Houston Rockets 41 41 .500 21
9 Sacramento Kings 27 55 .329 35
10 Dallas Mavericks 20 62 .244 42
11 Vancouver Grizzlies 19 63 .232 43
11 Golden State Warriors 19 63 .232 43
13 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45
14 Denver Nuggets 11 71 .134 51

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
1997-98 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta 2–1 4–0 1–3 4–0 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–3 3–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 4–0
Boston 1–2 1–2 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–2 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2 2–0 3–2
Charlotte 0–4 2–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 2–2 1–3 3–1 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Chicago 3–1 3–1 3–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–1 4–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 3–1
Cleveland 0–4 3–1 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–2 2–0 3–1 1–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–2
Dallas 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–4 0–4 0–4 2–2 1–1 0–4 4–0 1–1
Denver 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 2–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 1–3 0–4 0–4 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1
Detroit 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–2 2–2 0–2 2–2 2–2 1–2 3–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 0–2 0–2 2–2
Golden State 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 3–1 3–1 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–2 0–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 2–2 1–3 1–3 0–2 0–4 1–3 0–2
Houston 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 1–3 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–3 1–3 4–0 2–2 1–3 2–0 0–4 3–1 1–1
Indiana 3–1 4–0 1–3 2–2 2–2 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–1 4–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 3–1 4–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 2–2 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–4 3–1 1–3 0–4 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–2
L.A. Lakers 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 2–2 4–0 4–0 1–3 2–0 3–1 4–0 1–1
Miami 3–1 4–0 1–3 1–2 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 3–1 4–0 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 0–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–2
Milwaukee 1–3 2–2 1–3 0–4 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–4 3–1 2–1 2–2 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 1–2
Minnesota 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–2 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 0–2 4–0 0–4 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 3–1 1–3 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2
New Jersey 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–4 1–3 2–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–3 4–0 0–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
New York 2–2 2–2 3–1 0–4 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 1–3 1–1 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3
Orlando 2–2 2–2 1–3 1–3 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–2 2–0 1–3 0–4 4–0 0–2 2–0 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 3–1
Philadelphia 1–3 1–3 1–2 1–2 1–3 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 0–4 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–2 0–2 1–3 2–2 0–4 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–2 0–2 2–0 3–1
Phoenix 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 4–0 4–0 1–1 4–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Portland 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–2 0–2 0–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–4 2–0 3–1 2–2 1–1
Sacramento 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 4–0 3–1 1–1 2–2 0–4 0–2 1–3 0–4 0–2 0–2 1–3 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–3 1–3 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 2–2 2–0 3–1 0–4 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–3 2–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 1–3 4–0 1–1
Seattle 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 2–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 4–0 3–1 2–2 2–0 2–2 4–0 1–1
Toronto 0–4 0–3 0–4 0–4 1–3 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–0 0–2 0–4 1–1 0–2 0–4 1–3 1–1 1–3 1–3 1–3 2–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–3
Utah 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 1–3 1–1 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–3 2–2 3–1 2–2 2–0 4–0 0–2
Vancouver 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 3–1 2–0 3–1 1–3 0–2 3–1 0–4 0–2 1–1 0–4 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–4 2–2 2–2 0–4 0–4 1–1 0–4 1–1
Washington 0–4 2–3 2–2 1–3 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 1–1

Game log

[edit]

Playoffs

[edit]
1998 playoff game log
First Round: 3–1 (home: 2–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 April 23 @ Phoenix W 102–96 Tim Duncan (32) David Robinson (15) Vinny Del Negro (6) America West Arena
19,023
1–0
2 April 25 @ Phoenix L 101–108 David Robinson (23) David Robinson (16) Avery Johnson (8) America West Arena
19,023
1–1
3 April 27 Phoenix W 100–88 Tim Duncan (22) Tim Duncan (14) Avery Johnson (5) Alamodome
20,486
2–1
4 April 29 Phoenix W 99–80 Avery Johnson (30) David Robinson (21) Avery Johnson (7) Alamodome
27,528
3–1
Conference semifinals: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 May 5 @ Utah L 82–83 Tim Duncan (33) David Robinson (16) Avery Johnson (8) Delta Center
19,911
0–1
2 May 7 @ Utah L 106–109 Tim Duncan (26) David Robinson (14) Vinny Del Negro (5) Delta Center
19,911
0–2
3 May 9 Utah W 86–64 David Robinson (21) Will Perdue (11) Avery Johnson (5) Alamodome
26,086
1–2
4 May 10 Utah L 73–82 Tim Duncan (22) David Robinson (11) Avery Johnson (7) Alamodome
28,587
1–3
5 May 12 @ Utah L 77–87 David Robinson (21) David Robinson (13) Avery Johnson (8) Delta Center
19,911
1–4
1998 schedule

Player statistics

[edit]

Ragular season

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tim Duncan PF 82 82 3,204 977 224 55 206 1,731 39.1 11.9 2.7 .7 2.5 21.1
Jaren Jackson SG 82 45 2,226 210 156 60 8 722 27.1 2.6 1.9 .7 .1 8.8
Will Perdue C 79 30 1,491 535 57 22 50 394 18.9 6.8 .7 .3 .6 5.0
Avery Johnson PG 75 73 2,674 150 591 84 18 766 35.7 2.0 7.9 1.1 .2 10.2
David Robinson C 73 73 2,457 775 199 64 192 1,574 33.7 10.6 2.7 .9 2.6 21.6
Monty Williams SF 72 16 1,314 179 89 34 24 453 18.3 2.5 1.2 .5 .3 6.3
Reggie Geary PG 62 2 685 67 74 37 12 152 11.0 1.1 1.2 .6 .2 2.5
Chuck Person PF 61 11 1,455 204 86 29 10 409 23.9 3.3 1.4 .5 .2 6.7
Carl Herrera PF 58 1 516 91 22 19 12 170 8.9 1.6 .4 .3 .2 2.9
Vinny Del Negro SG 54 38 1,721 152 183 39 6 513 31.9 2.8 3.4 .7 .1 9.5
Malik Rose PF 53 0 429 90 19 21 7 158 8.1 1.7 .4 .4 .1 3.0
Cory Alexander PG 37 3 501 47 71 25 5 165 13.5 1.3 1.9 .7 .1 4.5
Sean Elliott SF 36 36 1,012 124 62 24 14 334 28.1 3.4 1.7 .7 .4 9.3
Willie Burton SF 13 0 43 9 1 2 2 27 3.3 .7 .1 .2 .2 2.1
Brad Lohaus PF 9 0 102 12 5 1 2 19 11.3 1.3 .6 .1 .2 2.1
  • Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Spurs only.

Playoffs

[edit]
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Tim Duncan PF 9 9 374 81 17 5 23 186 41.6 9.0 1.9 .6 2.6 20.7
David Robinson C 9 9 353 127 23 11 30 175 39.2 14.1 2.6 1.2 3.3 19.4
Avery Johnson PG 9 9 342 13 55 9 0 156 38.0 1.4 6.1 1.0 .0 17.3
Jaren Jackson SG 9 8 319 39 14 5 1 92 35.4 4.3 1.6 .6 .1 10.2
Will Perdue C 9 7 191 60 1 6 9 36 21.2 6.7 .1 .7 1.0 4.0
Vinny Del Negro SG 9 3 283 24 29 8 0 96 31.4 2.7 3.2 .9 .0 10.7
Chuck Person PF 9 0 196 27 7 4 0 52 21.8 3.0 .8 .4 .0 5.8
Reggie Geary PG 7 0 46 2 6 1 0 9 6.6 .3 .9 .1 .0 1.3
Monty Williams SF 5 0 28 6 1 0 0 12 5.6 1.2 .2 .0 .0 2.4
Carl Herrera PF 5 0 25 4 1 0 0 2 5.0 .8 .2 .0 .0 .4
Malik Rose PF 5 0 18 7 1 1 0 10 3.6 1.4 .2 .2 .0 2.0
Brad Lohaus PF 4 0 10 2 1 1 0 0 2.5 .5 .3 .3 .0 .0

Award winners

[edit]

Transactions

[edit]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ Wise, Mike (June 26, 1997). "After Duncan, Utah Forward Steals Show". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Heisler, Mark (June 26, 1997). "Draft Over, But Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  4. ^ Cotton, Anthony (June 26, 1997). "No. 1 Pick Turns Duncan Into Spur of Moment". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "First Round Selections in the 1997 NBA Draft Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C." Hartford Courant. June 26, 1997. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
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